Yerba mate prices continuing to go nuclear?

Posted by
YerbaJon
on February 13, 2014

For a couple of years now, struggling families in Argentina
have had to endure the painful increase in the cost of basic food staples. The
cost of basic staples like eggs, flour, and yerba mate have fallen victim to
the hyper-inflation; As high as 25% inflation per year has walloped Latin America’s
largest yerba mate producer. Worse, the
inability to have yerba mate in the family budget is not just a “luxury” as we
might consider it in North America. For
Argentinian’s, yerba mate's nutrient rich preparation is a fundamental source
of some of the most important vitamins and minerals that humans need for
health; struggling families can’t cut yerba mate out of the budget without
cutting out life sustaining nutrients.

Oh, it gets worse. Sigh. The price increase on yerba mate is
not just from inflation, as there is an unprecedented shortage of yerba
mate. Hyper-inflation and increased
yerba mate demand have combined to further raise the cost of drinking yerba mate. In the end, yerba mate prices have
steadily risen for yerba mate drinkers all over the world, and we have not been
spared. The rising yerba mate prices
began over two years ago and show no current sign of slowing down. In fact, it is getting intensely worse. According to the most recent data released just
yesterday, Argentina experienced a record 5.5% inflation in just one month. Worse, the crisis is spreading and impacting
yerba mate produced in neighboring countries. Canarias yerba mate from Uruguay, for
example, has recently gone up by over 30%. It is easy for me to become annoyed
at the rising cost of my favorite drink, but I am pained more by the impact
this must be having on already struggling families in Argentina. Ugh.